1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for neutralizing mine fields and more particularly to an array of explosives which are positioned such that upon detonation of the explosives a planar wave is set up, exerting substantially uniform pressure upon the ground and thereby maximizing the area of mine clearing effectiveness from a given amount of charge.
2. Background Description
It has been heretofore conventional when attempting to neutralize mine fields to provide an apparatus with charges distributed in an array blanketing the area to be cleared.
Examples of the aforesaid apparatuses are shown by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,455,354 and 3,242,862. These patents disclose devices having charges distributed over an area to be cleared of mines. Upon detonation the blast produced by the individual charges is concentrated in the area adjacent the charges and diminishes further away from the individual charges. Therefore, if a mine was located in an area between charges there is a less likely chance of it being neutralized than if the mine was located directly beneath a charge, where the blast from the charge is greatest. The overpressure from the blast is not uniform over the area to be cleared of mines. To ensure reliability of these devices in clearing mines located between charges it would be necessary to increase the size of the individual charges or to space the charges close together.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,319 discloses a device for clearing mine fields which uses fuel-air explosives. This device includes a series of fuel containers which are deposited along a mine field. The containers are then explosively ruptured forming an elongated fuel-air cloud contiguous to the mine field. Shortly thereafter, the cloud is detonated by a high explosive wave, producing overpressure on the mine field which detonates mines sensitive to such overpressure. Although the fuel-air explosive provides a more uniform coverage of the mine field than the distributed charges described above, there are many problems associated with its use. It is difficult to distribute the liquid fuel homogeneously in air. Therefore, part of the cloud may not detonate due to lack of proper fuel concentration. The strength of the detonation wave in the fuel-air explosive is limited by the amount of oxygen in the air. The amount of overpressure exerted on a mine field is limited to about 20 atmospheres for liquid hydrocarbons, which are commonly used as the fuel in fuel-air explosives. Windy or rainy weather make the explosive yield of fuel-air explosives uncertain.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present devices. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above.
Therefore it is a general object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for neutralizing mine fields having explosive charges which are distributed such that, upon detonation, a planar wavefront is set up thereby exerting a substantially uniform impulse and pressure on the ground within the area to be neutralized.
It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus for neutralizing mine fields which is efficient, whereby a minimum amount of explosive charge is utilized in neutralizing a given area in a mine field.
It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus for neutralizing mine fields which can obtain a maximum blast, with a large impulse and overpressure, from a given amount of explosive.